The sealing of doors to separate the inside from the outside, or a secure area from a public area is an interface which must accommodate a wide variety of demands. That is, the interface must provide sufficient security as well as permit access to individuals including handicapped. For example, as door levers are being mandated by current building codes, the use of door knobs has significantly decreased. The door handle includes a lever on both sides of the door. The latch mechanism is released by turning the handle with a force which is not to exceed a predetermined limit. Many building codes also require deadbolts for securing the door. However, the codes usually require the latch and deadbolts to be retracted simultaneously upon the single actuation of the inside handle for emergency egress. Therefore, unintended entry may be gained by bending a stiff wire, sliding it under the door and angling it back to the face of the door to loop on the lever and pulling the lever down. As the deadbolt is automatically released when the inside lever is actuated, this actuation of the inside lever substantially reduces the security provided by the deadbolt. Door guards and door chains do not add security when a person leaves a room, as these devices may be only actuated by someone inside the room. Further, once the inside handle and deadbolt are released, the remaining security devices may not provide the most sufficient security.
Further, the National Life Safety Code, State Codes, Model Building Codes, require that openings such as room entries in dormitories, hotel and motel rooms and offices from corridors must be sealed to prevent the passage of toxic gas and/or smoke and may also include a fire resistive rating. Codes also reference "Listed Authorities" for clarification of Nationally Recognized Standards such as NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) NFPA 105 for setting limits of smoke infiltration. Even if the door frame is sufficiently sealed, a sufficiently large gap at the bottom of the door may substantially defeat a frame seal. Further, many of these doors must be self closing and self latching. However, anything which rides on or rubs against a rug or floor may interfere with the self closing and latching, thereby violating the codes. While thresholds are used to seal the gap with the bottom of the door, the thresholds often present a trip hazard and may be so high as to violate handicap codes. Further, the presence of gaps between door and floor or even frame, allow penetration of noise, smoke, odor, light, and contribute to noise penetration.
Therefore, a need exists for a sealing system for precluding smoke penetration, and providing an increased measure of security. The need also exists for a sealing system that operates within predetermined force levels. A further needs exists for a seal which provides an audible confirmation of the existence of a seal between the door and the frame.